The Stations of the Way

When anyone wants to live with God, he must wash with the holy water of truth. Each time he washes, he returns himself to be his real self, but he must open his heart and his ear, to be washed in the water that takes him from this earth and this body to the world of the soul and the heart of God – to the light. He is cleaned of everything and reborn into the heart. Everyone needs to walk to return to live in the real freedom. This is the real place of his birth before he came to this world. You are like the child who first drinks milk from his mother, then after a while eats food. In the same way, you walk step by step to know yourself. If you open your heart, you can, and He will help you. No one can reach to be the complete light through this dark world unless God helps him to walk through the stations. You can reach in three months or one month, if you open your heart and if you give everything. If you understand, you reach many stations at once, many years of walking in one week. Open your heart and also pray as-salat. The prayers are a blessing.

I take the hand of the student and walk him through each station, making the way easy for him, guiding him from the darkness to the light. I give my heart to any student, to help him to know God. If you can give your heart, then you will understand what I mean. Go through me and go through my children. If you give everything in one day, He will give you everything in one day; if you give everything in one hour, He will give you everything in one hour. This is very difficult, but at the same time very easy. What you must do is to remember the name of God. Do not listen to any other voice, listen only to the voice of God because He wants to help you.

Remember the name of God, and pray and walk. Continue and do not stand still. Give mercy and strive hard. After that, you will walk through the stations of completion, and there is no end to the walking. If you begin to know the secret, you can touch it inside yourself and you can know the meaning of everything. But first walk from station to station to understand the meaning of the walking.

There are many stations, beginning with seven stations of the self (an-nafs), seven stations of the heart, seven stations of the soul, and seven stations of the secret. In everything, in every station, you begin to return to be with Him, to walk to be the holy sun of the truth.

The Seven Stations of the Nafs

1. Al-Amarra: Listening to the Orders from the Darkness
2. Al-Lawamma: The Stations of Sill Questioning
3. Al-Amina: The Stations of Faith and Trust
4. Al-Mutma’inna: The Station of Security
5. Al-Radhiyya: Not Obeying Anything from the Nafs
6. Al-Mardhiyya: Accepting Without Asking
7. Al-Kamila: The Perfections of the Nafs

(These seven stations contain all the stations of the Way. Click here for an in-depth explanation of the Nafs from Sidi's magnificent book The Path to Allah, Most High)

The Seven Stations of the Heart

1. At-Tawba: The Return to God
2. At-Taslim: The Surrender to God
3. Al-Adab: The Politeness
4. Al-Khawf: The Fear of God
5. As-Sidq: The Station of Righteousness
6. Al-Haqiqat: The Station of the Truth
7. Al-Muhabba: The Deep Love

The Seven Stations of the Soul

1. At-Tafakkar: Silent Remembrance
2. Al-Hubb: The Sincerity of the Love
3. Al-Itlaq: The Station of Freedom
4. Al-‘Ubudiyya: The Servant of God
5. Al-Ma’arifa: The Knowing of the Truth
6. Al-Hadhrat al-Itlaq: The Presence of the Freedom
7. Al-Fana: The Annihilation in God

The Seven Stations of the Secret

1. The World of al-Azal: The Meaning of Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim
2. Laila: The Deep Love
3. Ar-Ruh: The Father of the Spirit
4. Al-Qalb us-Sirr: The Heart of the Secret
5. Al-Ma’a ul-Hubb: The Water of the Love
6. Al-Hadhrat al-Itlaq: The Presence of the Freedom
7. As-Shams ul-Haqiqat ul-Qudsiyya: The Holy Sun of the Truth

From Sidi's book Music of the Soul, printed courtesy of Sidi Muhammad Press
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